As someone who’s more than a little awkward and ungainly, I heartily approve of the design of this 1982 Unique Mobility Electrek EV. Said by its inventor to have been just a “mule” to test the mechanics, this design stuck and it’s all we know today. This rare example is posted here on craigslist in paradise, otherwise known as San Diego, California, and they’re asking $6,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Tony P. for the tip!
Believe it or not, this wasn’t supposed to be the final design for the Electrek, not even close. The real car may have even swayed EV haters. A little. Maybe. Ok, probably not. Ha, what was I thinking? There were three “designs” for this weird-looking basic fiberglass shell: the car you see here, a hatchback, and a sedan delivery-type car. According to reports, the Department of Energy had the U.S. Army put one or two Electreks through their paces to evaluate them.
So, SG, what was the car supposed to look like? Here’s a photo of the inventor, John Gould, now in his mid-80s, along with a model of what was supposed to be this car. That’s quite a difference. This was still the era of lead-acid batteries as modern battery technology didn’t have a chance to develop over the decades, but once the energy crisis hit, companies and individual inventors were trying to think outside the box.
In this case, thinking outside the box wasn’t just storing all of the batteries under the hood or in the bumpers as in a Comuta-Car. In the Electrek, 16 golf cart batteries are lined up along the center of the car, helping with handling but also adding a huge hump in the center of the car as seen above. Sadly, the seller didn’t include even one photo of the interior, I’m not sure why. I zoomed in on the only photo that showed part of the interior. These cars have a gated four-speed manual transmission, believe it or not, along with a reported 65’ish top speed and around a 100-mile range. That was probably closer to 50 or 60 miles but that wasn’t horrible for this era, and with room for four people inside, it was much better than any number of smaller EVs for two passengers that had a 30-40-mile range. At $25,000 in 1982 dollars ($81,700 today!), it was anything but inexpensive, though, and well under 100 examples were sold.
The “engine”, or electric motor in this case, was under the hood where you’d expect it to be, and where it will be again once someone suggests dropping a Hayabusa in this car. It should be a 32-hp GE and it sent power through that manual to the front wheels. The seller says this one has a 17.5KWh Lithium Ion battery and a range of 50 to 70 miles, probably enough for the majority of Americans to drive to work and back on a single charge, but until they make a 600-mile-range battery pack with a five-minute charge time, EVs will never become mainstream in this country. We’ve seen a few Electreks here on Barn Finds, are any of you into vintage EVs, at least for the unusual factor?
Samsung has a solid state battery they’ll be using in the Lexus first, probably another reason Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi are wanting to merge companies (see https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/honda-nissan-set-announce-launch-integration-talks-media-reports-say-2024-12-22/)
Here’s the news of the solid state battery:
https://www.asiafinancial.com/samsung-rolls-out-600-mile-range-solid-state-battery-nc
Personally, I’d drop in a BMW K1600 before using a Hayabusa mill-clutchless shift, more HP and more.
Put in the K1600, and remove the lead acid batteries, and you’d have a light-bodied screamer!
But how does one place the golf clubs?
More importantly, what is the scrap value of this gem?
Was recently reading about Single Crystal Electrode Batteries, they sound fantastic. 20,000 charge-discharge cycles (equating to 8 millions miles or maybe kilometres of travel), still retaining 80% of their capacity, and I think the energy density of lithium ion. Sodium ion batteries are finally coming to market cheaper and more capable in colder terpaeratures. The whole sulphur issue was accidentally resolved, not long ago, at a university in the UK, so sodium-sulphur batteries will likely be pressed in near future.
ATM, batteries still can’t meet my needs, but I can hear the march of progress over the horizon, now.
Manual trans w electric motor ?
Revolutionary or not, the styling has all the cues of the body guys not agreeing on the chassis, or chassis as an afterthought. Again, like all these, it’s not 60 mile range, it’s 30 out and 30 back, if lucky, and that’s not very far, in a rural setting anyway. For a couple blocks, I suppose it could work, however, in my usual demeanor, where’s the juice going to come from? Always swept under the rug, like nuclear waste, and with our current grid, we just can’t keep “plugging them in”, a serious concern for the future. And don’t give me that wind farm baloney. I heard, considering what we need as a nation for juice, those 117 windmills barely scratch the surface for what we need. And remember, no wind, no juice. Like solar power at night. Several gas and coal fired plants are planned, but clean air nuts are trying to block them. No sir, it’s been over 100 years and EVs still can’t match ICE vehicles and I doubt ever will. A better plan is needed than EVs for the masses. As of 2022, there were 283.4 million vehicles registered in the US, that use an astonishing 376 MILLION gallons PER DAY! There’s no way any EV could satisfy that need. Don’t forget, we use over 1.1 million TONS of coal everyday to make that juice.
You hit most of the disadvantages of EVs right squarely on the head. Having said that, I do own an EV, the Smart Car EV version. It’s range is about 70 miles, which isn’t much, but used within its abilities, it is a very good car. Due to its limitations it isn’t my only car. And that’s what people should consider when buying an EV no matter what the make. It Can you live with its disadvantages?
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin’
Howard- I am surprised (and a bit disappointed) at your opposition to evolutionary change. How is the transition from horses to ICE vehicles different from transitioning to vehicles propelled by alternative (cleaner) fuel sources? I have done my share to aid in the destruction of the environment and will not live long enough to suffer the most extreme consequences of our actions- we have done a masterful job of poisoning ourselves (microplastics, chemicals, cancer) and our environment. But my children and the many babies that their friends are having currently will be left to deal with the selfish, irresponsible mess that we all will leave behind to them. The status quo is unsustainable.
Sadly for you and i , these ev’s will not save the world and the climate change thing is a hoax like the kovid hoax was …
@Claudio
Do you live in Russia?
Can it be converted to RHD for use USPS duty?
That is the only use that makes any sense for this butt ugly… whatever it is. What’s with the crazy door glass opening? Has to be for better mailbox access.
I warned “Moose” not to rest his elbows on the doors when the windows were rolled down in his Electrek…
Looks like the front pane pivots at the top corner, so the lower edge swings back to open it.
Reckon they were really committed to that deep-dipped beltline for whatever reason (great outward visibility at least), so sliding panes weren’t feasible, and the doors are so short there’s not enough room for a window that rolls or slides down, so this was a tidier solution than having some sort of inset sliding pane.
Kudos to Claudio!
AMEN!
In the linked John Gould photo, that scale model of his intended final design sure looks an awful lot like the GM EV1 — little surprise really, when aerodynamics were of paramount concern to maximize range with the meager battery capacity available at the time.
That is the only use that makes any sense for this butt ugly… whatever it is. What’s with the crazy door glass opening? Has to be for better mailbox access.
Rare yes, unique yes and beyond ugly yes!!
Almost looks like it is folding up like a lawn chair. Definitely not the most flattering designed automobile I’ve seen…
I think the design is BRILLIANT for it’s purpose – with the assumed limited range, coupled with the bizarre aesthetics, the owner won’t want to drive this too far at any one time anyway! It’s a perfect solution!!
Looks like a dehydrated Pacer
It appears that a person who exceeds the maximum recommended weight of this vehicle ignored the warning sticker and wedged himself in anyway. EVs aren’t for everyone one (me included), but we have to try something different than what we’ve been doing. In areas of the country that generate clean(er) electricity, EVs make sense. A neighbor is a visiting nurse and she drives all around town everyday, yet only has to charge her KIA once a week.
We’re fine. The air is cleaner than it’s ever been. We don’t have to “do” anything. Except be free to buy and drive what we want.
Tell that to your grandchildren or great grandchildren. Explain to them how a lack of action or concern (apathy) led to the world they are now forced to live in.
The cleaner air from vehicles is due in large part to those dreaded California emissions standards. After you have the experience of not being able to see a mountain range at noon due to thick smog, you gain a new appreciation for clean, breathable air.
Dinosaurs love dinosaur juice and don’t care about future generations. We have an electric car, solar panels, and a home charger. Our electric bill is < $17 most months of the year, and our car has a realistic range of around 250 miles- closer to 200 on the highway because it’s set to charge only to 90% on fast chargers. It’s wonderful most of the time, but not like an ICE car on trips. More planning is required. As retirees we’re willing to accept that.
“Dinosaurs love dinosaur juice”. What a great slogan to describe those whose minds are closed to change. 👍👍
I love Dinosaurs, so…..